Gator Elementary is a bilingual campus that provides services to students both in English and Spanish. In grades PreK – 4th, 50% of each grade level has classroom providing English and Spanish instruction. In 5th grade, it moves from 60/40% and in 6th it is 30%. Math, Science and Social Studies is taught in English using sheltered strategies for second language learners.…
It is important that schools celebrate the bilingual or multilingual skills of pupils. Schools will have a policy in place which states how to ensure inclusive practice, including the additional support for pupils who need to improve their English if it is not their first language. We have a child in our class (Year 2) who is learning 2 languages that are spoken in Venezuela, where his parents are from. He is learning Spanish and Warao. We have noticed that he is finding it difficult sometimes to comprehend instructions. As teaching staff we are understanding and sympathetic to his needs as we are aware he is learning about his culture which is extremely important to his parents and his upbringing. We repeat any instructions given and check he has understood them.…
On my first day of school, I was not able to communicate with my peers as Spanish was all I knew. Learning English became my priority and I worked meticulously every day to close the barrier between my peers and me. Fortunately, there was a bilingual teacher, Mrs.Verburg, who became the only person who could…
I agree and believe that educators want students to become lifelong learners and develop critical thinking skills. I think that failure should not be feared, because from failure comes learning and through assessments learn what needs to be improved and why it failed. I work with ELL students, abed they are adults, so I have heard arguments that only a full immersion program teaches students a foreign language or English - in our case. I have also hear arguments against bilingual education in that it promotes antisocial relationships between native speakers and ESL students. One think everyone agree on in Gardner and Lambert's claim that learning second languages occurs if the (students and adults) are fluent in their first language (Gardner…
In my opinion bilingualism plays a major role in the educational development of children. This is because research has shown that children who are fluent in their home language are more successful in learning a second language. Furthermore, being bilingual offers greater sensitivity to language, more flexibility in thinking and better ear for listening. It also improves a child’s understanding for the native language. Moreover, knowledge of other languages increases a career of opportunities offering several job options.…
In English First the author is a huge proponent of English only education. Le urges the voting public who is reading the article to vote against installing bilingual education into the student course curriculum. Le dedicates almost the entire piece to focus on the potential pitfalls in trying to introduce two completely different languages into a child’s academic curriculum simultaneously.…
Students who are allowed to use their native language in the classroom feel a greater sense of security, which enhances their ability to learn. Third grade teacher Debbie Walsh, who teaches in a bilingual program in Miami, Florida, strongly believes that “children need to know they can ask for help, explain problems, say how they feel, and so on” **Teacher Talk citation here**. For many children, doing so requires using their native language, at least early on.…
The majority of resources and strategies discussed in this handbook are teacher and student friendly. As educators we can utilize this handbook to improve educational practices and help emergent bilinguals succeed in their education.…
A unique part of my family heritage and culture is the ability of speaking Spanish. Being bilingual is something that I really appreciate to have because it gives me certain advantages when it comes to applying for jobs or helping others. For example, I was doing community service and there was a woman who need assistance, but she couldn't speak English well. Fortunately, I was able to help her and I felt proud for that. Nonetheless, approximately the same situations apply in school from time to time. In conclusion, I feel pleased for this ability to speak the Spanish language.…
Most people have developed the misconceived notion that allowing students to learn more than one language at the same time usually resulted to great confusion amid students subjected to such learning trends (García & Baetens, 2009). However, one thing that is for sure is that there are more benefits to bilingual education than individuals know…
I strongly believe that communicating with colleagues and parents is the key towards student success and leading a school. I have had the opportunity to share and collaborate with teachers, parents, and the community I’ve worked in. I’ve held presentations that have provided parents with information of what our children need to master at every grade level. By doing so, I have been invited to conferences to provide others with information on Bilingual Programs and to share my ideas of Dual-Language programs in forums with other fellow educators across the state. All in all, these experiences have given me the confidence and grit I need to lead a successful and effective learning…
Spanish is spoken by a diverse range of cultures—however, these cultures come together, united by their shared values, to create what we know as the Latino community. Though learning the language is principal in a Spanish class, learning about the culture of that language is almost equally as important. If you do not understand a culture, you can never fully understand its language. Therefore, knowing the significance and effectiveness of bilingual education and the fundamental characteristics of the Latino community is a perfect way to begin a journey into the depths of the Spanish language and the culture surrounding it.…
As an a preschool teacher for the past seven years, I have all my experience in a bilingual classroom without speaking more than just English. As the lead teacher in my Head Start classrooms, I have always relied on a bilingual teacher assistant to provided communication for my Spanish speakers parents, children and myself. However, I can say that I have know several “Spanish preschool phrases” that have gotten me by during the standard, structure classroom day. Currently, I feel confident enough in my knowledge and experiences in my classroom. As a seasonal teacher, I want to expand my awareness of how I can further my teaching skills for my bilingual students in language and literacy.…
794 elementary and secondary teachers filled out a questionnaire probing attitudes toward bilingual education. While support for the principles underlying bilingual education was strong, support for actual participation by students in bilingual programs was not as strong. Those with more supplementary training in ESL and bilingual education were more supportive of bilingual education.…
For my third blog entry, I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Maria, a third-grade bilingual teacher with a little over ten years of experience, and the mother of my classmate. Ms. Maria just like her students has English as her second language but began her journey at the age of seventeen. This experience allows her to be more compassionate and understanding with her students’ situations as she went through the same thing but at a later age. I personally have never been enrolled in a bilingual class so this interview was insightful to see how different my experience was compared to her students. Ortega status that “Attitudes towards the formal learning context have been shown to exert a lasting and important influence on motivation. (Ortega, 2013, page 190)” so I thought it was quite interesting that when asked what learning approach was more beneficial Ms. Maria believed that both instruction and natural learning approaches are needed to acquire a language.…